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Huge multi-table tournaments are marathons. You have to have endurance and luck to reach the final table of a high-traffic, multi-table tourney. While patience is always a virtue in poker, sometimes it’s nice to speed things up. That’s why Sit and Go’s are so intriguing. You can potentially earn a ton of money by beating only one table (or a couple tables) of players. Besting one table’s worth of heads is a lot easier than outlasting hundreds of people.

Under Pressure

When you’re under pressure in the early stages of the Sit and Go tourney, don’t be a hero. Don’t respond to a pre-flop raise if all you got is an inside straight draw. Wait until you have an amazing hand. If you have some decent hole cards, you can start pushing back the players that are trying to push you out of pots.

Turning the Tables

After playing the tight guy at the table for the earlier part of the tournament, you will have to switch gears a bit when the blinds get bigger. Start using late position posturing to your advantage, a basic poker strategy. Watch what players do in specific situations and understand what sort of reaction you can expect from people. Does the guy who just called the big blind always fold to a bet that’s larger than the pot? If so, then you know what to do.

Buy Pots

If you sense timid, check-happy scenarios, bet the pot after the flop. Let players check there way into your raise. If they call quickly or go over the top and re-raise you, reassess your situation. Don’t try to save face if your attempt to buy the pot was outbid by one of your opponents. Don’t be a push over, but don’t misplace your aggression either. Go after blinds and limp in to inexpensive flops. If you think you have the nuts, then be extra aggressive. Try to end the round before anyone else can draw out a higher valued hand.

If one of your acts of aggression ends up costing you, then tighten your game again until you get enough chips to take some chances. When you pressure your opponents, keep in mind what you’ve seen from them at the table. Know what your pressure will illicit. Are you trying to force a call or force a fold? If you’ve been following the action at the table, you should be able to know exactly what sort of pressure you should apply to specific players. Remember, if a player never wants to fold, you can’t force them to, and if the poker odds aren’t in your favor, fold and wait for more favorable betting conditions.